Myanmar junta blocking aid as earthquake death toll nears 3000

The death toll continues to rise in central Myanmar after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit South East Asia on 28 March. Over 2700 people have died so far, with another 4521 injured and 441 reported missing.1

The disaster prompted Myanmar’s ruling military junta, the State Administration Council (SAC), to make a rare call for humanitarian aid on 29 March, despite the ongoing civil war. On 1 April, however, aid agencies reported that the junta was preventing humanitarian assistance from reaching earthquake survivors.2 SAC resumed airstrikes in rebel areas barely three hours after the earthquake struck.3

A UN assessment found that many health facilities in Myanmar have been damaged by the earthquake and warned that a “severe shortage” of medical supplies, including trauma kits, blood bags, anaesthetics, and assistive devices, was hampering response efforts. According to …